Movie Schmovie

Get ready for this week's Movie Schmovie as we dive into Evil Dead Rise and compare it to the rest of the series! We also discuss recent PVOD releases The Artifice Girl and The Covenant, as well as Ronald's Required Viewing pick, the timeless 1981 film, Dragonslayer.

The guys take on two different eras of writer/director James Gunn's career by discussing his tone-shifting, low budget superhero satire from 2010, Super, and then Ron and John completely avoid spoilers for Steve's sake and yours, as they chat about Gunn's last hurrah as an MCU employee, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Steve then takes a run down the newest VOD releases, including reviews of Sweethurt, Renfield, The Pope's Exorcist, and How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

On this week's Movie Schmovie, we're gonna get our nerd on and talk about The Mandalorian Season 3 finale! We'll be chatting about what this means for the future of Star Wars, and sharing all the latest franchise updates. Plus, we'll be giving our thoughts on the new Netflix show Beef. Oh, and don’t forget about this week’s Required Viewing, 2019’s I See You. It's gonna be a blast, so don't miss it!

Ron, Steve, and John talk about new trailers, modern box office expectations, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and this week's Required Viewing selection, the Indian action flick Pathaan. Also: Other things!

Ron, Steve, and John name ferns, plan murders, and mock the rich as they look back at Elaine May's wry 1971 comedy, A New Leaf. Then it's time for the new cinematic trend of movies about brands/products, with discussions about Ben Affleck's shoe biopic, Air, and Tetris, about the tangled rights issues surrounding the launch of the famous (and famously addicting) game.

Ron, Steve, and John fall in love with inventive rom-com Rye Lane, get heavy with disturbing drama Palm Trees and Power Lines, and shout their mystical catchphrases to access all their analytical superpowers for a discussion of Shazam: Fury of the Gods.

Ron, Steve, and John talk about a bevy of recent releases, including the latest John Wick fightfest and this week's Required Viewing selection, Operation Fortune.

Ron, Steve, and John look back to 2004 to diagnose a British TV show with a cult following, Garth Merenghi's Darkplace. Then Ron and John offer some totally spoiler-free thoughts about much anticipated horror sequel Scream VI, which is in theaters now!

Ron, Steve, and John get back in the ring to defend their Niftiest Podcast title with an unbeatable combo of recent-ish dramas: Australian thriller The Dry (2020), Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut, Creed III, and the emotionally immersive film Return to Seoul.

Join us in The Podcast Realm! Ron, Steve, and John all generally enjoyed the latest MCU entry, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, even as it's seen by many as another step in the franchise's creative decline. What's up? Why is this movie so divisive? Quality control, longterm stakes, Jonathan Majors and more is discussed, all in this ant-sized episode.

Ron picked Ghostwatch, a British mockumentary/found footage/genre experiment from 1992, as this week's Required Viewing. After discussing that, the guys movie on to socially conscious rom-com You People on Netflix, and then a few other things that have been catching their eyes.

For this week's Required Viewing, John picked Francis Ford Coppola's paranoid thriller from 1974, The Conversation, featuring a riveting Gene Hackman performance. Then the guys move on to a movie that's in theaters today: M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin (adapted from the disturbing and engrossing novel, The Cabin at the End of the World, by Paul Tremblay).

This week's Required Viewing segment is devoted to a violent and propulsive French political thriller from last year, Athena. Ron, Steve, and John also chat about Oscar noms and a few other films and streaming series that have crossed their paths recently.

Ron, Steve, and John unearth an obscure little movie called The Godfather for this week's Required Viewing selection, and they recommend you check out this hidden gem! HBO's brand-new video game adaptation, The Last of Us, is also discussed. It's a podcast you can't refuse.

For the first time since January 2020, Ron, Steve, and John are looking at the last year's films in review, with each providing a list of their personal top ten. It's an exciting time because lists, as we all know, are inherently important, and also because 2022 was a great year for movies. But mostly the list thing.

What exactly are rich assholes doing behind closed doors, when we don't see them out on their yachts or racing hot air balloons? Ron, Steve, and John take a look at a trio of movies that offer possible answers: Brian Yuzna's wild 1989 body horror social satire, Society; Mark Mylod's delectable black comedy with a message, The Menu; and the latest star-studded Benoit Blanc mystery from Rian Johnson, Glass Onion.

In anticipation of the brand-new sequel, Ron, Steve, and John beam their personalities into tall, skinny, hairless cat-people to see what James Cameron's Avatar looks like 13 years later. They also chat about a few other things, like Steven Spielberg's highly personal new film, The Fabelmans, as well as the latest news from the chaos that is the DCU.

Ron, Steve, and John watch Isaac Hayes's star turn in Truck Turner, from 1974, in hopes of finding out who's a poot butt and who's not. Then they look back on 2022's glut of quality streaming television and pick their favorite from each major platform. This is a great episode for new listeners and a nice reminder for longtimers.

Ron, Steve, and John rent a room in Mrs. Wilberforce's house so they can keep an eye on Alec Guinness's band of luckless dimwit crooks in the 1955 Ealing Studio black comedy The Ladykillers, and then everyone opens up their Rebel Manifesto to the same page to discuss the implications and qualities of bold new Star Wars series Andor. Podcasts don't panic.

Ron, Steve, and John give thanks for one of the most iconic road movies of all time, which also happens to be one of the funniest buddy comedies, which is also the leading case for why the world is poorer without John Candy in it: John Hughes's Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Are you a Neal or a Del? The answer isn't in this podcast, but it is in your heart.